Herbicide-tolerant soybeans are the most extensively cultivated genetically modified (GM) crop globally. The effects of GM soybean and associated agronomic practices on soil microbial communities remain poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the impact of planting GM soybeans with a glyphosate application on soil microbial diversity. The main bacterial and fungal community compositions (phylum level) were consistent for GM and non-GM soybeans. The alpha diversity analysis indicated that the bacterial Shannon index was significantly higher in GM rhizosphere soil during flowering compared to non-GM soil. There were no significant differences in the Shannon, Simpson, or ACE indices of the soil fungal communities between GM and non-GM soybeans in the same period. The PCoA analysis showed no significant differences in community structure between the GM and non-GM soybean soil for either fungi or bacteria during the same period. Although the relative abundance of Bradyrhizobium at the seedling stage was significantly lower in those GM than in those non-GM, it did not affect the final number of root nodules in either soybean type. The relative abundance of Frankia was significantly lower in GM rhizosphere soil during the seedling and flowering stages, whereas that of Thelebolus was significantly higher during flowering and pod filling. The abundance and ecological functions of these taxa warrant continuous monitoring.

In order to provide more evidence for the evaluation of the ecological risks of transgenic maize, arthropod population dynamics and biodiversity in fields planted with two kinds of transgenic maize (DBN9868, expressing the PAT and EPSPS genes, and DBN9936, expressing the Cry1Ab and EPSPS gene) were investigated by direct observation and trapping for three years. The recorded arthropod species belonged to 19 orders and 87 families, including Aphidoidea, Chrysomelidae, Coccinellidae, Chrysopidae and Araneae. The species richness, Shannon–Wiener diversity index, Pielou evenness index, dominance index and community similarity index of arthropod communities in maize fields were statistically analyzed, and the results showed that (1) the biodiversity difference of arthropod communities between transgenic maize and non-transgenic maize was smaller than that between different conventional cultivars; (2) the differences between ground-dwelling arthropod communities were less obvious than those between plant-inhabiting arthropod communities; and (3) Lepidoptera, the target pests of Bt maize, were not the dominant population in maize fields, and the dominant arthropod population in maize fields varied greatly between years and months. Combining those results, we concluded that the transgenic maize DBN9868 and DBN9936 had no significant effect on the arthropod communities in the field.

Understanding the ability of hybrids of genetically modified (GM) soybean and wild soybean to survive and reproduce under unfavorable conditions is critical for answering questions regarding risk assessment and the existence of transgenes in the environment. To investigate the effects of high-temperature stress on soybean growth and competitive ability, the GM soybean DBN8002, which expresses the VIP3Aa and PAT proteins, and F₂ generations derived from a cross between GM soybean and NJW (wild soybean) were placed in a greenhouse with an elevated temperature (38/32 °C) for 14 days, and the plant agronomic performance and foreign protein levels of hybrid soybean were evaluated to observe their responses to high temperature. The results revealed that the VIP3Aa and PAT protein levels in F₂ and GM were not influenced by high-temperature stress. In contrast, the pollen germination, pod number, hundred-seed weight, and seed vigor of the F₂ hybrid and parent soybean plants decreased after high-temperature stress. However, except for the number of fully filled seeds per plant, the above parameters of the F₂ hybrid were similar to or slightly lower than those of wild soybean, and no significant difference in fitness was observed between the F₂ hybrid and wild soybean, indicating that the growth and competitive ability of the hybrid were similar to those of its female parent under heat stress conditions, resulting in the transgenes persisting and spreading within agricultural ecosystems. Our results enhance the understanding of the GM soybean plant’s response to heat stress, lay the foundation for breeding heat-resistant soybean varieties, and provide new insights and advanced information on the ecological risks arising from the escape of transgenes.

As an important natural enemy insect, Harmonia axyridis has significant biological control effects on a variety of pests such as aphids in agroforestry ecosystems. The large-scale application of H. axyridis has long been limited by the unstable supply of natural prey, poor rearing of alternative prey and artificial diets, and high costs. In this paper, we review the research progress on the effects of alternative prey and artificial diets, and present the results and shortcomings of H. axyridis rearing. Focusing on the nutritional requirements of H. axyridis and the nutrient composition of natural prey, the paper aims to analyze and optimize the core components of artificial diets, develop diet formulations that are highly efficient, low-cost, support the ladybird throughout its complete life cycle, and identify the key factors for breaking the bottleneck of large-scale reproduction of H. axyridis, with a view to facilitate the industrialization of H. axyridis, enhancing the efficacy of biocontrol, and providing references to the development of diets for other natural enemy insects.

Aphids are among the most significant agricultural pests worldwide. Artificial diets are a critical foundation for aphid physiological and biochemical research and the development of pest control technology. However, their phloem sap-feeding habits, extraoral digestion characteristics, and host specificities pose numerous challenges to the development of artificial diets for aphids, including population degradation, reduced fecundity during long-term rearing, and a lack of methodological diversity in dietary formulation research. In this review, we summarize the research on artificial diets for aphids, encompassing the history of artificial rearing, rearing methods, and nutritional composition analysis of these diets. Furthermore, we discuss the optimization of diet formulations based on aphid digestive enzymes and symbiotic bacteria. We aim to synthesize successful developments of artificial diets for aphids and extend their application to diverse aphid species. Future development of artificial aphid diets should focus on matching the types and contents of nutritional elements with the digestive enzymes and gut microbes of aphids. It is necessary to develop specific artificial diets for targeted aphid populations rather than merely adopting successful formulations and experience with Myzus persicae or Acyrthosiphon pisum. In addition, automated and large-scale aphid rearing devices should be developed, and further research on population degradation during long-term aphid rearing is required to explore multifaceted solutions involving nutritional and environmental aspects.

The impacts of transgenic maize on non - target organisms serve as a crucial parameter for evaluating the environmental safety of transgenic maize. In the present study, short - term and long - term feeding experiments were carried out on Euborellia annulipes (Lucas) (Dermaptera: Anisolabididae) using two types of diets: maize (including both transgenic and non - transgenic varieties) and maize combined with maize borers (Ostrinia furnacalis). The survival rate, body weight, body length, reproductive efficiency, and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) of the predator were monitored. Moreover, the residual concentration of exogenous protein in the bodies, eggs, and feces of the earwigs was measured. The experimental findings indicated that there were no significant disparities in the aforementioned indicators between the transgenic and non - transgenic maize treatment groups. Nevertheless, differences were detected between the maize treatment groups and the maize borer treatment groups, especially with regard to egg production. The earwigs in the maize borer treatment groups produced significantly more eggs. Overall, the short - term and long - term feeding experiments demonstrated that transgenic maize did not exert adverse effects on E.annulipes.